Dungeon Master

Dungeon Master is one of the most important RPGs ever made. It replaced the turn-based dungeon crawling of its time with real-time action, giving players the feeling of actually being inside the dungeon. You enter as a party of champions brought back to life to descend into a deep, dangerous dungeon and recover a powerful artifact. Many games, from Eye of the Beholder to Legend of Grimrock, followed in its footsteps.

Gameplay

You start by choosing four champions from the Hall of Champions, a gallery of mirrors where each hero has their own stats and skills. You can resurrect them as they are or reincarnate them, starting their skills from scratch.

The game is played in first-person, in real time, with direct mouse control of everything:

• Learning by doing: Characters improve skills like fighting, ninja techniques, priestly magic and wizardry by actually using them, rather than through traditional level-ups.
• Rune-based magic: Spells are cast by combining runes, and you discover new combinations by experimenting or finding scrolls.
• Survival: Food, water and light are constant concerns, and torches burn out as you explore.
• Real-time combat: Monsters move and attack in real time, so positioning, timing and quick reactions matter.
• Puzzles and traps: Pressure plates, hidden switches, teleporters and riddles make the dungeon as much a puzzle as a fight.

The dungeon is both atmospheric and unforgiving, with sounds of monsters approaching in the dark and a constant sense of danger.

Verdict

Dungeon Master is a groundbreaking RPG that still feels tense and immersive today. Its interface and difficulty take some getting used to, but its real-time design, learning-by-doing system and rune magic remain impressive.